What rights do Riverside County members have with no contract?
The SEIU 721 bargaining team, which is comprised of 32 members who were elected by their peers, have been in negotiations since late March with the goal of protecting public services in Riverside. On July 27, the County of Riverside declared impasse and is imposing its terms and conditions on 6,000 County employees. We have approached bargaining in a reasonable and professional manner and proposed millions in cost-saving measures, all of which the county has rejected. Below are the answers to some of the most resounding questions.
Q: Where are we now in the process of bargaining over wages, benefits and working conditions?
Answer: Management has declared Impasse. They say that they will impose "terms and conditions" on our members effective July 30, 2009.
Q: What is Impasse?
Answer: Impasse is called when no substantive bargaining is possible and the parties have no room left to bargain.
Q: Did the County and our union really reach impasse?
Answer: No! Although the union continued to make substantive proposals to management, we did not see management bargain in good faith and instead they declared impasse.
Q: What steps has the Union taken to respond to the county's false allegation regarding Impasse?
Answer: We have filed legal action against the County because refusing to bargain when a party is not legitimately at impasse is an Unfair Labor Practice. Additionally, we have written Riverside County CEO Bill Luna to urge him to return to the bargaining table and start to bargain in good faith.
Q: What happens when impasse is reached?
Answer: Usually, there are impasse procedures. Unfortunately, these are only voluntary procedures in Riverside County unlike in other Counties where the parties are obliged to use a mediator or a fact finder to reach an agreement.
Q: Do we have an agreement? Do we have an MOU (contract)?
Answer: Unfortunately, we do not have an agreement. An agreement takes both parties to agree and when we were moving toward an agreement on July 22, Ron Komers, the County's Chief Negotiator, walked out on negotiations.
Q: What is different in not having a contract (MOU)?
Answer: (a) Management cannot enforce the No Strike clause or legally prevent most other union actions from occurring. (b) Management is required to bargain over all substantive changes while there is no MOU and therefore, no "Full Understanding, Modification and Waiver Clause" can be legally imposed by management.
Q: What happens next?
Answer: Management will impose their terms and conditions regarding our employment on July 30, 2009 and these terms and conditions will last until we work toward a solution, or legal action produces an order requiring the parties to return to the bargaining table.
If you have not gotten a copy of the management "Terms and Conditions" (which the county incorrectly listed as an MOU) please ask your worksite organizer for a copy.
TAKE ACTION
SEIU 721 members are meeting Thursday, Aug. 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Riverside Convention Center, 3443 Orange St., Riverside, to determine the next steps.
We encourage all members to participate in this process to ensure the best outcome.
RSVP here!
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